The head of the Athens court of appeal prosecutor’s office has approved a request by Athens Court of First Instance president to provide additional expert support to the three anti-corruption investigating magistrates.

The magistrates primarily handle serious cases, most of them involving financial matters, which require specialist assistance to provide critical information and expertise in scientific fields necessary for understanding complex investigations.

Indeed, this was one of the original objectives of the legislation establishing the Judicial Police, specifically the creation of its civilian division, intended to strengthen the justice system by making professionals with specialized knowledge available to judicial authorities, as is the practice in many other countries.

Under this arrangement, two experts have been assigned to the Athens court of first instance: one specializing in economics and the other in accounting.

Judicial sources note that providing judges and prosecutors with experts possessing specialized knowledge can only have a positive impact on the administration of justice, particularly now that the necessary legal framework is in place.

Major cases ongoing

Greece is currently investigating three major cases involving alleged organized financial wrongdoing, tax evasion and corruption, highlighting the growing complexity of financial crime investigations and the need for specialized expertise within the judicial system.

The Pizza Fan case concerns an alleged systematic tax-evasion scheme in which cash transactions were disguised as complimentary orders through the company’s ordering and cash-register software. Authorities estimate that concealed turnover may have reached 150 million euros, with unpaid VAT exceeding 35 million euros. The investigation has implicated central management and numerous outlets, with the company’s owner remanded in pretrial custody.

The Horiatiko investigation concerns an alleged network of approximately 430 interconnected companies used to evade taxes and social security contributions. Authorities estimate losses to the state and EFKA at 76.96 million euros. The case involves 149 named suspects and 59 arrests, with allegations of money laundering through property, vehicles and fictitious business arrangements.

The ‘Basketgate‘ investigation concerns alleged match-fixing, bribery and attempts to influence referees in approximately 50 basketball games between 2016 and 2026. Several prominent basketball figures have been implicated, while authorities are examining financial transactions and possible links to wider corruption in professional sports.